A high-profile trial is underway in France against three former Ubisoft executives accused of systematic harassment, humiliation, and sexual harassment of female employees. It is the first major case in the gaming industry to emerge from the #MeToo movement.
A high-profile trial is underway in France against three former Ubisoft executives accused of systematic harassment, humiliation, and sexual harassment of female employees. It is the first major case in the gaming industry to emerge from the #MeToo movement.
The trial of three former executives of Ubisoft, the publisher of games such as Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry and Just Dance, has concluded in the Paris suburb of Bobigny. According to The Guardian, French prosecutors consider the evidence gathered «overwhelming» and call the trial a «watershed moment» for the entire video game industry.
The defendants are former vice president of creative Tommy Francois (52), former chief creative officer Serge Ascoye (59), and former director of development Guillaume Patru (41). The victims' testimonies cover a ten-year period, from 2010 to 2020, and describe a toxic atmosphere, disdain, physical humiliation, sexual and homophobic jokes, and complete disregard for complaints by HR.
In particular, Francois is accused of attempted sexual assault, when, according to the testimony of a woman, he tried to forcefully kiss her at a corporate party. He is also accused of cases in which he forced subordinates to perform humiliating acts, such as standing on their hands in their skirts. Witnesses also mentioned that he showed naked body parts, showed pornography in the office and drew phallic images on female employees.
Askoe, who was effectively the second person at Ubisoft, is accused of regularly making sexual jokes and offensive remarks towards women. In particular, he stated that a colleague «needed sex» to «calm down» and offered to demonstrate this «in a visual way.»
Patryu, in turn, threatened his colleagues with «shootings in the office,» punched walls, waved a lighter near their faces, and once set a colleague’s beard on fire. He also brandished a whip near the workers.
All three deny the charges, calling their behavior «jokes» or «misconstrued actions.» The panel of judges has now gone into session to reach a decision, which will be announced later.
The Ubisoft scandal has become one of the most high-profile in the French entertainment industry. Back in 2020, a series of journalistic investigations exposed a culture of systemic silence and toxic management at the company. This led to mass layoffs, including by executives who are now in the dock. The case is considered a precedent for the entire European gaming industry.
Recall that the memoirs of former Facebook employee Sarah Wynn-Williams were recently released, in which she accuses the company of misconduct and harassment, as well as Mark Zuckerberg’s attempts to move Facebook to China. After the book’s announcement last week, Meta conducted a powerful PR campaign and filed a petition with an arbitrator, who sided with the company.
